1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boarding bridge, specifically to a boarding bridge attachable to an aircraft having a built-in airstair. The present invention also relates to a boarding bridge system including such a boarding bridge, and a method for attaching such a boarding bridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a boarding bridge is known as boarding/disembarking equipment for aircrafts. The boarding bridge includes a passageway for connecting a terminal building of an airport and an aircraft. Use of the boarding bridge allows passengers or the like to move between the aircraft and the terminal building for boarding or disembarkation (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-37196).
A boarding bridge disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-37196 includes a rotunda connected to the terminal building, an extendable tunnel section connected to the rotunda, and a cab provided at a tip of the tunnel section.
With reference to FIG. 8, a method for attaching such a boarding bridge to an aircraft will be described. When an aircraft 100 parks at a predetermined position of an apron, an operator in a cab 206 of a boarding bridge 201 drives the cab 206 toward a door 101 of the aircraft 100. At this point, a rotunda 204 pivots and the tunnel section 205 extends. The cab 206 also pivots with respect to the tunnel section 205. Reference numeral 202 represents a terminal building. When the cab 206 reaches a position facing the door 101, the cab 206 is advanced toward the door 101 and attached so as to surround the door 101. Then, the door 101 is opened, and the passengers can board or disembark. Although not shown, the door 101 is rotatable or slidable horizontally.
For example, some of so-called small aircrafts have an airstair (a boarding/disembarking stairway which is provided on a rear surface of the door and becomes usable when the door is opened outside). In this type of aircraft, the door pivots upward or downward with a bottom end thereof being used as the support. Therefore, once the cab is attached so as to surround the door, the door interferes with the floor of the cab and cannot be opened.
Some of the so-called small aircraft shave a short distance between a hatch and an engine. A boarding bridge having a conventional structure cannot be attached easily to this type of aircraft. Even if the boarding bridge can be attached, care must be taken to make sure that the cab does not interfere with the engine during the operation of attaching the boarding bridge so as to surround the hatch. Thus, there is a problem that the load on the operator is heavier than for attaching the boarding bridge to large aircrafts.
An unrecognized and unmet need is that a small aircraft allows elderly people and handicapped people to board easily with less load at the time of boarding. Therefore, use of a boarding bridge is desired even for small aircrafts.